The Trioh! aims to be the world's most beautiful flashlight

It’s a scenario many of us are familiar with: the power goes out and the sole flashlight kept at the bottom of the kitchen drawer has either disappeared, or has been harvested for batteries, leading to much fumbling around in the dark. Portland, Oregon, native Greg Hinzmann aims to prevent this situation by designing a flashlight which is so beautiful that you’ll want to show it off and so have it to hand, should the need arise.

Trioh! (pronounced "trio") certainly isn't the toughest pick of the bunch, nor will it run from wind-up energy. However, Hinzmann maintains that such flashlights are an imperfect solution for everyday home use, since they're treated like tools and packed away, whereas the Trioh! is meant to be used more like a decorative light, with an oh-so-smooth design which belies a real usefulness.

The Trioh! unit actually comprises two separate sections: the flashlight itself and an intelligent mains-powered charging base which makes use of an inductive charging system in order to avoid wires. Perhaps more importantly, the charging base can also detect a power failure from its mains source, and should this occur, the flashlight's three LED's will automatically glow - a cool feature to be sure, but also one which could be a potential lifeline for the elderly or less physically able.

With a twist of its lens, the device's beam is softened to provide an accent light and the shape of the Tiroh! enables it to be stood on its base in order to function like a candle. The Trioh! features a built-in rechargeable (and non-replaceable) lithium ion battery, said to be good for twelve hours continuous use, or three days when in pulsing emergency light mode.

Hinzmann is currently seeking contributions toward the manufacture of the Trioh! via a Kickstarter campaign and the flashlight has reached just over half of its US$90,000 tipping point with 39 days left to go. There are a few different price points still available, the most attractive probably being $69 for a single unit including shipping to the U.S. (international shipping is an extra $20).

Take a look at the video below if you'd like to hear more about the Trioh! from the designer himself.